Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind (Paperback)

Description

After enduring years of hunger, deprivation, and devastating loss at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, ten-year-old Loung Ung became the "lucky child," the sibling chosen to accompany her eldest brother to America while her one surviving sister and two brothers remained behind. In this poignant and elegiac memoir, Loung recalls her assimilation into an unfamiliar new culture while struggling to overcome dogged memories of violence and the deep scars of war. In alternating chapters, she gives voice to Chou, the beloved older sister whose life in war-torn Cambodia so easily could have been hers. Highlighting the harsh realities of chance and circumstance in times of war as well as in times of peace, Lucky Child is ultimately a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and to the salvaging strength of family bonds.

Praise For…

“Ung’s story is a compelling and inspirational one that touches universal chords. Americans would do well to read it.” -Washington Post Book World

“Written with an engaging vigor and directness, Lucky Child is an unforgettable portrait of resilience and largeness of spirit.” -Los Angeles Times

“Deeply stirring...heart-breaking and not less than brilliant.” -Miami Herald

“A unique glimpse into America’s “melting pot”--a melting pot born of indescribable suffering but brimming with irrepressible life.” -Samantha Power, author of "A Problem from Hell": America and the Age of Genocide

“As piercing and poignant as its title.” -Richard North Patterson

“I encourage everyone to read this deeply moving and very important book.” -Angelina Jolie, Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees

“A tender, searing journey of two sisters, two worlds, two destinies.” -Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues